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Wreckage of missing Indonesian plane spotted by search aircraft, police say Indonesian police say wreckage of missing plane spotted by search aircraft
(about 4 hours later)
A search plane has spotted wreckage from a passenger plane which crashed in Indonesia’s eastern region of Papua on Sunday.A search plane has spotted wreckage from a passenger plane which crashed in Indonesia’s eastern region of Papua on Sunday.
Debris thought to be from the Trigana plane which crashed with 54 people on board in the heavily forested Bintang mountains was sighted on Monday, police chief Yunus Wally told the Antara newsagency. Debris from the Trigana plane was sighted on Monday with smoke still billowing from it in the heavily forested Bintang mountains where it crashed with 54 people on board.
“It’s true, a search aircraft reported sighting aircraft debris around Oksop waterfall,” said Wally, adding a search and rescue team was making preparations to approach the area. Henry Bambang Soelistyo, the chief of the national search and rescue agency, said search and rescue teams were preparing to try to reach the crash site by air and foot.
Airline officials were not immediately available to respond to questions, Reuters said. The ATR42-300 twin turboprop plane was carrying 49 passengers and five crew members on a scheduled 42-minute journey from Jayapura, capital of Papua province, to Oksibil. Five children, including two infants, were among the passengers. All the people on board were Indonesian nationals.
“Smoke was still billowing from the wreckage when it was spotted by a plane search,” said Soelistyo who is leading the rescue operation from Sentani airport in Jayapura, adding that bad weather and rugged terrain were hampering efforts to reach the wreckage located in a mountainous area at an altitude of 2,600m (about 8,500 feet).
Related: Aircraft accident rates at historic low despite high-profile plane crashesRelated: Aircraft accident rates at historic low despite high-profile plane crashes
Heavy cloud on Monday morning initially delayed plans for an aerial survey to locate the Trigana Air ATR 42-300 plane, which the government confirmed on Sunday had crashed, the latest in a string of aviation disasters in south-east Asia. He said elite forces from the air force and army will build a helipad for evacuation purposes near the crash site.
Search planes went into the air early Monday after residents of a village not far from Oksibil told local police that they saw a plane flying low before crashing into a mountain.
Airline officials were not immediately available to respond to questions, Reuters said.
Heavy cloud on Monday morning initially delayed plans for an aerial survey to locate the plane, which the government confirmed on Sunday had crashed, the latest in a string of aviation disasters in south-east Asia.
The ATR 42-300 that went missing made its first flight 27 years ago, according to online database the Aviation Safety Network. The airline has been on the European Union’s list of banned carriers since 2007.The ATR 42-300 that went missing made its first flight 27 years ago, according to online database the Aviation Safety Network. The airline has been on the European Union’s list of banned carriers since 2007.
There were 44 adult passengers, five children and infants and five crew on the short-haul flight from Sentani airport in Jayapura, capital of Papua province, south to Oksibil.
All those on the plane were Indonesian nationals, a national search and rescue agency official said.
“The weather is good, no problem. All flights are ready to go,” said Pratu Susilo, the operator at Sentani airport, from where search planes took off.
A land-based search team set out from Oksibil on Sunday for the area where contact with the aircraft was lost.
A Super Puma helicopter crashed in the same area last year, said Sito, a national search and rescue agency communications operator in Jayapura who goes by one name. “It’s the weather there, it changes all the time. In the morning it can be clear and hot and then suddenly it rains.”A Super Puma helicopter crashed in the same area last year, said Sito, a national search and rescue agency communications operator in Jayapura who goes by one name. “It’s the weather there, it changes all the time. In the morning it can be clear and hot and then suddenly it rains.”
Air transport is commonly used in Papua, Indonesia’s easternmost province, where land travel is often impossible.Air transport is commonly used in Papua, Indonesia’s easternmost province, where land travel is often impossible.
Trigana Air has a fleet of 14 aircraft, according to the airfleets.com database. These include 10 ATR aircraft and four Boeing 737 Classics. These have an average age of 26.6 years, according to the database.Trigana Air has a fleet of 14 aircraft, according to the airfleets.com database. These include 10 ATR aircraft and four Boeing 737 Classics. These have an average age of 26.6 years, according to the database.
Trigana has had 14 serious incidents since it began operations in 1991, according to the Aviation Safety Network. Excluding this latest incident, it has written off 10 aircraft.Trigana has had 14 serious incidents since it began operations in 1991, according to the Aviation Safety Network. Excluding this latest incident, it has written off 10 aircraft.
Indonesia has a patchy aviation safety record and has seen two major plane crashes in the past year, including an AirAsia flight that went down in the Java Sea, killing all 162 on board.Indonesia has a patchy aviation safety record and has seen two major plane crashes in the past year, including an AirAsia flight that went down in the Java Sea, killing all 162 on board.